Session 3 - Peripheral devices

Peripheral Devices

www.webopedia.com defines peripheral devices as:

Peripheral devices can be external -- such as a mouse, keyboard, printer, monitor, external Zip drive or scanner -- or internal, such as a CD-ROM drive, CD-R drive or internal modem. Internal peripheral devices are often referred to as integrated peripherals.

External Peripheral Devices

When talking about peripheral devices, the main ones that come to mind in today's market are:

• Mouse
• Keyboard
• Printer
• Monitor
• Scanner
• External storage

Some of these may be part of your initial purchase, such as mouse and keyboard or even monitor, but sometimes they need to be replaced or, as a user, you want something a bit better.

Mouse

It might seem like a fairly small thing, and if you are not fussy you can buy a mouse for around $10. BUT, many people are fussy about their mouse. It needs to fit comfortably in your hand and move around with a level of precision (depending on what you use your computer for). Some people need to have extra buttons on their mouse - especially for gaming or multimedia applications. Some mice can also be used to control media devices in your computer, such as optical drives and volume.

http://au.pcmag.com/computer-mice-products/4330/feature/how-to-buy-a-computer-mouse

The following is an example of the range of mice available.

http://www.harveynorman.com.au/computers-tablets/computer-accessories/keyboards-mouse-mats/corded+mice_wireless+mice/1065?mode=grid

There is a huge price difference from the bottom end basic mouse to the top end gaming mouse. At the top end you have programmable buttons and very good tracking and movement.

Keyboard

Like the mouse, keyboard choice is also very personal and will depend on things like features, backlighting, progammable buttons, wireless or wired, brand preference. The keyboard is probably the item on your computer that you use most - again it needs to be comfortable but also fit in the space you have available. I hate the keyboard that came with my PC and one day I will replace it with something that is more responsive and that is backlit!!

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2415287,00.asp


 
The following is an example of the variety of keyboards that are available. Again, there is a large price variation from bottom end to top end.

http://www.harveynorman.com.au/computers-tablets/computer-accessories/keyboards-mouse-mats/keyboards/1065?mode=grid

Printer

What do you look for when buying a printer? Speed, resolution, connectivity, cost of consumables (running costs), colour or monochrome. Lots of decisions to be made and each will have a bearing on cost.

https://www.cnet.com/au/topics/printers/buying-guide/

http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/printer-buying-guide/

http://www.cnet.com/au/topics/printers/best-printers/

The following is a sample of the range of printers that are available

http://www.harveynorman.com.au/cameras-printers-photocentre/printing-ink-paper/printers-scanners/printers/1065

Monitor

How much do you want to spend on a monitor? DO you want HD? What screen size? LED/LCD? Refresh speed?

http://www.cnet.com/au/topics/monitors/best-monitors/

http://reckoner.com.au/2014/12/4k-monitor-buying-guide/


Here are some of your monitor choices!!

https://www.jbhifi.com.au/computers-tablets/monitors/

Scanner

Resolution/quality, speed or size are just a few of the decisions that you may need to make. Other things include what software is supplied, file types that can be saved, page feeder, adapter for slides. Do you want a separate scanner or is it better to go with a 3 in one or printer/scanner combination?

http://flatbed-scanner-review.toptenreviews.com/

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2355771,00.asp

http://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/technology/scanners

http://au.pcmag.com/scanner-reviews/23042/guide/the-best-scanners-of-2017

External storage - hard drives

The main decision here is about size - size matters and the bigger the better!! Connection type may also be a consideration. You might also decide that a solid state drive will be your best option.


http://au.pcmag.com/storage-devices-reviews/4180/feature/how-to-buy-an-external-hard-drive

http://www.harveynorman.com.au/external-hard-drives-buying-guide

Below shows some of the choices available.

https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/c/technology/hard-drives-data-storage

Class Activity

What peripherals devices does your own computer have?

What peripheral devices would you like to have?

What device/make/model would you get if money was not an issue? Why?

 

Session 2 - More on Hardware

Last week we did an exercise on looking at computer equipment within some defined categories. We then went on to explore what all of the numbers and technical information means when we are looking at the specifications or details of a computer.

This week we will continue to explore some Hardware basics and some of the things to consider when selecting hardware.

Motherboard or Mainboard

The Motherboard or Mainboard is the where everything connects to. It will have a socket for your processor as well as space for RAM and various other connectors for hard drive, USB, optical drive etc. The Motherboard will be specific to a range of processors and so the motherboard decision is guided by your processor decision (or vice versa). It will also be designed for a certain type of RAM.

What does the Motherboard do? This article describes the Function of the Motherboard:


https://www.techwalla.com/articles/what-is-the-function-of-the-computer-motherboard


The following article is a good summary of the items of hardware that relate to your motherboard


http://www.pcquest.com/essential-advice-before-buying-ram-motherboard-cpu-and-other-pc-components/


There are a number of ways to find information about your motherboard without opening up your computer.


http://ccm.net/faq/44026-how-to-identify-your-motherboard-in-windows-10


The following screen dumps are from my desktop computer at home

RAM - Does Size Matter?

The main question here is how much RAM (Random Access Memory) do you get. Today, I think that 4gb is basic and a lot of computer equipment will come with 8gb or more. RAM is installed straight onto the Motherboard and the motherboard will determine the type of RAM that will be use. My current desktop computer has 12gb of RAM. The following article explains the different types of RAM available.

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/ram3.htm

ACTIVITY 3

How much and which type of RAM does each of your selected computer items from Activity 1 (last week's activity) contain?

Hard Disks

With the Hard disk, it is about size and speed. Most hard disks today are SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment), which is the way it connects to the motherboard. A hard disk’s seek time, or how fast it can locate the information, is usually in milliseconds. In this case the lower the seek time the better and faster the drive is. Most hard disk today spin at 7200rpm, which is the rotation speed of the platters.

The amount of storage that a hard drive has is given in Gigabytes (GB) or Terabytes (TB). A Terabyte is rounded to 1000 Gigabytes, but computers talk binary or power of 2 and so 1024 is the standard (2^10) 2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2. Rounding to 1000 is definitely easier!

1024 bytes	=	1 KB
1024 KB	=	1 MB
1024 MB	=	1 GB
1024 GB	=	1 TB
1024 TB	=	1 PB

KB	=	Kilobyte
MB	=	Megabyte
GB	=	Gigabyte
TB	=	Terabyte
PB	=	Petabyte

As the price drops and the capacity increases, solid state memory will gradually replace traditional hard drives with moving parts.


Here are the details of the storage within my desktop computer.

ACTIVITY 4

What type of permanent storage or Hard disk is installed in your items from Activity 1. What is the capacity and speed of the Hard Disk(s) or permanent storage device.

Graphics Cards

The right Graphics card is an important decision if you need high-end graphics for gaming, Multimedia, 3D, Video and Digital Imaging. Many computers have graphics available straight from the Motherboard, but if you need more graphic processing grunt, you can add a graphics adapter.

AMD (ATI) Radeon and NVIDEA are the two main Graphics processors available. The number of GPUs, the speed, and the amount of memory on the graphics adapter are all things that need to be considered and compared with the specifications of the software you need to run.

Most graphics cards offer a selection of connector types that you can use to connect your monitor to your graphics card.

What does the graphics cad do?  http://computer.howstuffworks.com/graphics-card.htm

Image from http://pixgood.com/video-card-ports.html

Graphics cards buyers guides:

http://www.pcgamer.com/best-gpu-2016/

http://www.144hzmonitors.com/best-graphics-card/

SOFTWARE SPECIFICATIONS

So you now know about motherboards, processors and RAM, and you know that the bigger the number, the faster it is, but which one do you purchase. This decision comes down to the types of software or games that you will be using as well as your budget. Big and fast costs bigger bucks.

For example, Here are the minimum hardware requirements for Microsoft Office 2013:

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee624351.aspx

ACTIVITY 5

What are the minimum and recommended specifications for Microsoft Office 2016?

What are the minimum and recommended specifications for Adobe Photoshop CC 2017 and Premiere Pro CC 2017?

What are the minimum and recommended specifications for Project Cars?

What are the minimum and recommended specifications for Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak

Would all of your selected computers run these programs?

Session 1 - Hardware Components

Introduction

This unit is designed to give you the skills and knowledge to troubleshoot hardware and software issues that may arise within an organisation. Before we can do that, we need to understand some of the basics of Hardware and Software.

Definition of Hardware and Software - http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000039.htm


When you look at the description of any piece of computer hardware, you will see lots of information that is categorised under specifications. Software, including games, will also have minimum specifications of what equipment is required to successfully execute the program. Same goes for some peripheral devices.


So what does this all mean? What bits and pieces make up a computer?

Computers can generally be categorised into the following:

Desktop – not portable, usually set up on a desk or table with the view that it isn’t moved around much. Desktops come as a main box with separate screen and keyboard/mouse, or it can be one of the “all-in-one” configurations.

Notebook/Laptop/Ultrabook – A notebook is a portable computer. They used to be called Laptops, but have become smaller and lighter and now fall into the category of notebook. They are an all in one machine complete with keyboard and mouse. At the high end, a notebook can be as powerful as a desktop. Most computer manufacturers make notebooks, including the Apple Macbook.

Netbook – A smaller, lighter, cheaper version of a notebook. Netbooks are usually lower powered, less memory and less storage than a notebook and do not come with built in CD/DVD drives, but may have a small internal hard drive. The advantage of a Netbook is that they have a longer battery life and are very portable. Netbooks generally use a “light” version of the operating system that will use less resources.

Tablet – A tablet is a small notebook or netbook that has a touchscreen for input, but may also have a keyboard. They are small, portable and easy to use, but generally not for high end processing. The iPad fits into this category as well as the range of Android type tablets such as Samsung Galaxy. Microsoft is also in this market with its Surface Tablet that runs Windows

Activity 1

Using the Internet, visit an online store and find 2 examples of each of the above computer categories - make sure that they are at different price brackets - one high end and one lower end.

Take note of the Make, Model and basic specifications of each.

Here is an example of a laptop from the JB HiFi website.

https://www.jbhifi.com.au/computers-tablets/laptops/

You can look at manufacturers websites or online stores, or you can look at retail electronic or computer stores. Here are some examples:

JB HiFi
Harvey Norman
CentreCom
DELL
Hewlett Packard
Acer
Apple

Let's have a look at what some of these things mean

Processor

What is a Processor:

http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/processor

The 2 main players in the PC processor market are Intel and AMD

Intel Processors:

http://www.intel.com.au/content/www/au/en/processors/processor-numbers.html

AMD Processors:

http://www.amd.com/en-us/products/processors

Comparison

http://www.techradar.com/news/computing-components/processors/best-cpu-the-8-top-processors-today-1046063

Activity 2

What processor is in each of your selected items from Activity 1